A day after Ethan and Chloe returned to the academy…
“I’m glad that you managed to return safely, Ethan,” Emma said with a smile. “Were you scared?”
“Yes,” Ethan replied as he looked at his teacup. “If possible, I don’t want to experience that kind of scare again.”
Emma eyed the handsome young man before sighing in her heart.
Truth be told, she had seen a vision of Ethan being targeted by Hunters, so she sneakily followed him to Crawford Town.
However, she didn’t enter the town and simply waited in the forest, enchanting a tree to create a door that led to her tree house. 𝑜𝓥𝑙xt.𝒸𝑶𝓂
She was ready to help them at any moment if their lives were in danger. She could have warned Ethan about the Hunters, but she chose to remain silent.
The reason for this was simple.
Emma wanted to see how Ethan would react to danger. Also, she wanted to know if the young man would choose to confront the enemy or escape.
Her own black raven was scouting everything, but Dantalion and Nightshade didn’t notice her Spirit Guide because her Raven, Dawn, had the power to turn invisible.
When she saw Ethan choose to escape the city, she asked her Spirit Guide to pay close attention to the Hunters and attack if any of them noticed that their targets had escaped.
She even ordered Dawn to attack the enemy’s raven, but to her surprise, Dantalion got to it first, renewing Emma’s impression of the White Raven who served as her Lord’s Spirit Guide.
“Not only must we be careful in fighting against Monsters, but we must also be wary of Monsters that wear human skin,” Emma said. “Please, do not trust people so easily, My Liege. They might stab you in the back simply because you are too kind.”
Ethan sighed before placing his teacup back on the table.
“Please stop calling me My Liege,” Ethan stated. “Just call me Ethan. You managed to do it earlier, right?”
Emma covered her lips and giggled because she was finding it hard to address him as simply, Ethan, when they were alone.
Now that he knew that she was his Promised One, Emma felt that this was a good opportunity to get close to the handsome young man, whom she needed to protect.
Ethan smiled because he preferred the lively Emma over the standoffish one.
“By the way, are you done with your Mission?” Ethan asked. “No. Let me rephrase the question. Do you plan on doing any missions?”
“Tomorrow,” Emma replied. “I was busy the past few days, so I wasn’t able to visit the Mission Hall.”
“Okay.” Ethan nodded. “Make sure to go with a group. Those hunters are very nasty. I don’t want you getting hurt out there.”
The young lady’s eyes softened after hearing the concern in Ethan’s voice.
“Don’t worry about me,” Emma replied. “You should worry about the pitiful Hunters who’d end up crossing my path instead.”
Ethan arched an eyebrow as he looked at Emma from head to foot.
The young beauty looked so delicate, and yet, he could feel a strength that belonged to that of a warrior oozing out of her body.
After their short meeting, Ethan returned to the Mission Hall to check the other missions plastered on the Mission Board.
For a month, students could take as many missions as they wished as long as they finished whatever mission they had chosen previously.
He and Chloe had decided to rest for a few days before looking for a new mission to undertake.
‘There are a few interesting missions here,’ Ethan thought as he glanced at some of the missions that were available.
Searching for missing people and pets, escort missions, and dungeon missions.
The first time he had entered a dungeon was during the Initiation Ceremony.
Truth be told, that was another scary experience since it was also his first time fighting against a Monster.
Ethan closed his eyes and pondered if he was capable of killing people.
This thought had been on his mind ever since he had returned to the academy after their desperate escape from Crawford Town.
He didn’t mind killing Monsters, but killing humans?
That was a different matter.
He grew up in a relatively peaceful environment, where he only needed to help tend the farm and protect it from wild animals.
The mere thought of ending a person’s life scared him more than his fight against the Wendigo.
The young man would rather fight another Wendigo than kill a human, even if that person wanted to kill him as well.
‘Perhaps the only time I will commit murder is when I have no other choice but to kill.’ Ethan grimaced.
Feeling light-headed, Ethan left the Mission Hall and returned to Dud Manor.
Surprisingly, he found Chloe in the common room, waiting for him.
His beautiful cousin had dark circles under her eyes, making his heart ache.
“You weren’t able to sleep?” Ethan asked as he sat beside her.
Chloe shook her head. “I had a bad dream. No. It was a nightmare. In that dream I was captured by the Hunters and was sold as a slave.”
Ethan wrapped his arms around Chloe and patted her head.
“It’s just a nightmare,” Ethan replied. “I won’t let that happen to you.”
“I know,” Chloe replied. “But, it was still scary.”
While the two were hugging each other, the door of the Manor opened. A moment later, Luna stepped into the Common Room.
Ethan and Chloe glanced in her direction and were shocked at her disheveled appearance.
Her robe had several cuts in it, and she was covered in dirt.
Seeing how pale and haggard Luna was, Chloe immediately ran up to her and supported her body.
“What happened?” Chloe asked as she looked at her best friend. “Who did this to you?!”
Ethan was also standing beside Luna with a worried look on his face.
“Hunters,” Luna replied. “Fortunately, the Academy’s Strikers arrived in time. Had they been a few minutes late, then things might have gotten out of hand.”
Ethan felt a burning anger rise in his chest the moment he learned that Luna was also attacked by Hunters.
He was clenching his fists so hard that a cracking sound could be heard.
Chloe and Luna.
If either of them were harmed because of those bastards, Ethan knew that he wouldn’t be able to hold himself back and would go for the kill.
His breathing suddenly became ragged as the realization hit him.
It was not because he was incapable of murder.
He just didn’t have the reason for it.
Deep inside his Sea of Consciousness, his other half smiled, knowing that his kind, innocent other half would soon understand that the world he lived in wasn’t as peaceful as he thought it was.